Skopje, 15 October 2023 (MIA) – Rural women are a pillar of the local economy, contributing as farmers, seasonal workers, and entrepreneurs, said President Stevo Pendarovski at an event Sunday in Krushevo marking International Day of Rural Women.

According to a press release from his Office, the President noted that in reality the country is still far from achieving full equality for rural women on any level in the country.

“Undoubtedly, a lot of work awaits us in order to enable economic independence and social integration for rural women. A necessary condition for this is the support for women’s leadership and organizations working in this field. The voice of the rural woman, her needs and the issues she faces, must be heard, but also solved. The support for this category of women mustn’t remain only declarative and only expressed on this day, as it often is, but it must be meaningful and daily,” said the President.

The President assessed that it is necessary to engage all parties, and establish a functional partnership between the state institutions and civil organizations in order to include rural women in all levels of the decision-making process.

The President of the National Federation of Farmers, Vaska Mojsovska, said women from rural communities face many challenges such as social exclusion; unemployment; gender discrimination; unequal distribution of income and resources; dominance of traditional norms; denial of right to own property; deprivation of the right to paid maternity leave; limited access and opportunities for education, information, healthcare and other public and social services.

“What we want to highlight as our special, joint success and result is the adopted Programme in support of social security for women farmers. As women from rural areas, we want to highlight the importance of this Programme. It is an excellent solution that will allow women farmers to receive 9 months of maternity allowance. This is a big success for women farmers, who truly deserve this support,” said Mojsovska.

At the event, the Swedish Ambassador to North Macedonia, Ami Larsson Jain, said Sweden has been a long-standing supporter of rural women in the country.

“Women still don’t have equal treatment as men in society, they face many challenges; lack of work; unpaid work; even violence, yet they remain and continue to provide food for families and for all of us. This is why it is important for them to be valued as much as men,” said Larsson Jain.

In a video address, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Ljupcho Nikolovski, highlighted the overall commitment of the Government to the development of agriculture with a special emphasis on rural women.

“Together we all created the measure for rural women, and that was a motive for us to continue with the support by focusing on developing the policies of women from all regions who are investing in knowledge, technologies, and product marketing,” said Nikolovski.

Certificates were handed at the event recognizing successful women and civil associations who are working to improve the economic and social condition of women in rural areas.

Photo: Office of the President of North Macedonia/National Federation of Farmers